Change Smart

8/4/2019 Change Smart

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8/4/2019 Change Smart

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by Kevin Cashman

lose sight of their big picture vision inthe midst of change.• Shifting from a focus on circum-

stances to one on purpose: Effectiveleaders maintain a clear sense of pur-pose, value and meaning to rise abovechallenging, immediate circumstances.• Shifting from a focus on control to

one on agility: Effective leaders knowthat controlling management yieldslimited results, but that being adapt-

able to internal and external needssustains results over the long haul.• Shifting from a focus on self to ser-

vice: Effective leaders buffer theirteams from the stress of change bymanaging, neutralizing and/or tran-scending their own stress.• Shifting from expertise focus to

listening focus: Effective leaders stayopen and practice authentic listeningto stay connected with the pulse of organizational and market needs.They listen, synthesize and act—then listen more!

• Shifting from a focus on doubt toone on trust : Effective leaders knowthe risks and downsides yet possess aself-trust that they can handle mostanything that comes their way.

When introducing amajor change, like a newstrategy, the trick is not justto tell people, but also toshow them. Change is morelike a contagious virus thanan order you give or a baton you pass forward. Toadvance the team, be the

change you want to see. Allmeaningful change begins

with self-change. Managers try tobring order to change; leaders inspireenergy to change.

Focusing on strategy and followingoperational successes don’t have tocome at one another’s expense. You’llhave to give up the degree of depthand detail related to daily activities, but that’s different than abandoning italtogether. As you let go of someresponsibilities and control, rememberthe people who trusted you to take on

new responsibilities long before youwere really prepared to do so!

As a leader, you must eitheraggressively step into the unknownor risk being destroyed by the statusquo. Accelerating this destructive-cre-ative process is at the heart of authen-tic, enduring leadership. LE

Kevin Cashman is Senior Partner, Korn/Ferry InternationalLeadership and Talent Consulting. He is the author of Leader-ship From the Inside Out and Founder of LeaderSource.www.kornferry.com or www.leadershipfromtheinsideout.com

 ACTION: Shift your leadership focus.

DURING THE PRESIDEN-

tial election cycle,we heard countless calls

for change! Barack Obama supportersrallied behind change we can believe in;Hillary Clinton offered: ready for change,ready to lead and working for change,working for you. In the GOP, Romneypronounced, change begins with us , andRon Paul aimed to change the world.

Yet seasoned leaders know whatmatters most is not who draws up themost radical blueprint for change butwho can steadily navigate through thechange, frequent and far-ranging as it is.

The wisdom imparted 3,000 yearsago by Greek philosopher Heraclitis—You can never step into the same rivertwice—comes to mind. It’s easy to oper-ate under the illusion that life remainsconstant. Even when we’reaware of change, we tend toresist or at least ignore it.

Today, the top issue fac-ing leaders is dealing withcomplexity and change.Research confirms that learn-ing agility—the set of skillsthat allows us to learn from

one situation and apply it inanother—is more predictiveof long-term leadership potential thanraw IQ. In a frenetic change environ-ment, nimble, adaptable leadershipoutperforms leadership that is single-mindedly smart. Yet many companiesfirst look to intelligence when choos-ing potential leaders.

Novartis CEO Daniel Vasella toldgraduates of Mumbai’s Indian School of Business: “Be comfortable with seem-ingly contradictory situations, feelings,and actions. Many people can’t deal

with ambiguity—they want simplicity,clarity, and clear direction.”

Seven Key Shifts 

We know that 75 percent of changeinitiatives fail; but why do 25 percentsucceed? They execute seven shifts:• Shifting from a focus on problems to

a focus on opportunities: Effective lead-ers tend to perceive and to innovate onthe opportunities inherent in change.• Shifting focus from the short term to

the long term: Effective leaders don’t

Change Smart M ake seven key shi f t s .

CHANGE SHIFTS

L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e

Reprinted with permission of Leadership Excellence: 1-877-250-1983